Several thousand turned out to take one final stroll around the fabled arena that is as much a part of Philadelphia history as Schibe Park and Veteran's Stadium. The Sixers, Flyers, the circus, the concerts, this was the venue for all those happenings. It held all the triumphs and the disappointments.
Flyers legend Bernie Parent was on hand for autographs. He remembers the night the Flyers won their first Stanley Cup right here in the Spectrum.
"We had a lot of great times here especially when we won our first Stanley Cup in 1974," Parent said.
There were long lines to get into the Flyers' old locker room. Hockey lovers also savored a lot of pop music here.
"I've seen Springsteen 13 times, Billy Joel just as many times, Flyers, Disney on Parade, trucks," John McConnell of Brookhaven said.
"The concerts, the Sixers, the Flyers, the Grateful Dead
They even set up the old concert stage so folks could feel one more memory.
"My first concert was here for my 16th birthday, Alice Cooper," Stacey Keenan of West Grove said.
"They make better buildings, but they never replace the old ones," Fred Snyder of Allentown, Pa. said.
In the spring, the wrecking ball will reduce the Spectrum to rubble to be replaced by a retail and entertainment complex. One Philadelphian said today, sadly, we live in a throwaway society.
